After a long application season, many students finally got their coveted admission notices to American high schools. I am about to start a long trip to study in the United States. How to pack your luggage properly and thoughtfully, how to plan the life of American high school and make the way of studying abroad in the future orderly, I believe that prospective international students should think about it.
Prepare your luggage before departure
In addition to the daily necessities, you may wish to take an English-Chinese dictionary with you when you pack your luggage. Don't be afraid of its weight. "When you arrive in the United States, this dictionary will become a treasure. It is not easy to buy a dictionary in the United States, and it is expensive." In addition, students with nearsighted eyes can consider matching an extra pair of glasses to prevent them from being lost or damaged. The price of glasses in the United States is similar to that in China, but the unit needs to be changed into US dollars. Bring as few local products as possible. China food can be seen everywhere in China in many cities, especially in some cities on the west coast. More than half of the campus are from China, and Chinese restaurants are also common. To apply for an international credit card, the basic principle is that the parents of students have debit cards in which bank, and they usually apply for credit cards in this bank, which is convenient for transfer and repayment. Pay special attention not to ignore the importance of timely repayment. The United States is a country that attaches great importance to personal credit. In addition, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the American legal system.
From the time of admission, international students must get into the habit of checking their email frequently. The International Department and the department they belong to often send some very important emails, which contain relevant information such as time schedule, course introduction, general situation of the college, general situation of the school, introduction of tutors, and so on. As soon as the school starts, they will also receive invitations for orientation sessions for freshmen.
The orientation meeting for freshmen is not compulsory for everyone to attend, but it is better for students who can catch up to attend, because this is the first meeting between freshmen and course instructors and other administrators. That day. You will also have the opportunity to meet students from all over the world. Different from the seriousness and formality of the welcome meeting for freshmen in China, in addition to the necessary dean's speech, the more important part of American schools is the free conversation between teachers and students.
The punishment for academic cheating in the United States is quite heavy. Cheating in college is almost equivalent to a crime. If found, the school will punish students in different degrees according to the severity of the violation, such as warning records, short-term suspension of classes, participation in community service and even expulsion.
course selection tips
American high schools implement the credit system, which is somewhat similar to domestic universities. It is divided into compulsory credits and elective credits. Students can take corresponding subjects according to their interests and graduate after completing a certain score. American high school courses are usually divided into six categories: English, mathematics, natural science, social science, second foreign language and art courses.
It should be noted that each subject is divided into general courses, honors courses and pre-university courses according to the degree of difficulty. Many students don't know much about American high school courses, blindly choose courses, and even choose difficult courses, which will eventually cause irreparable injuries when applying for universities. Usually, at the orientation meeting for freshmen, every student will meet his/her course adviser, who can help students choose courses, but students should also consider it. For example, they suggest that you choose math, professional courses, science courses, history and literature courses. This course selection seems very reasonable and harmonious in arts and sciences, but for many China students who have just arrived in the United States, literature, history, economics and other courses, because they contain a lot of English reading and writing, most people do not have a good English foundation. Classroom discussion, after-class reading and writing in these classes will take a lot of time, especially when they first arrived in the United States at the critical period of adapting to culture, few people want to face such pressure.
Therefore, a few weeks before the start of school, you should know the investigation direction of each course, and start with what you are familiar with and good at, so as to improve your computer skills, which will help you get twice the result with half the effort. Leave some things you are not good at to the second or third year of high school, so that you can improve yourself steadily. , and the weekly office hour is best added to your own schedule. American high school professors and teachers will help students answer questions at a fixed time every week. To some extent, office hour is even more important than the classroom. You can ask more extended questions outside the classroom during the office hour, and at the same time you can establish a good relationship with the teacher. In addition, make full use of the writing center in the school, and senior students will be obliged to answer your questions and make suggestions. Many courses need to be discussed after class. American students are familiar with this aspect because they have been involved in group projects since childhood. For China students who have just arrived in Meigao, unless you are particularly confident in yourself, don't rush your homework at the last minute. Your homework will directly affect your grades.